WWII-era gun turrets unearthed at Bixby Park in Long Beach

This concrete slab found at Junipero and Ocean Boulevard is one of two World War II-era gun turrets unearthed by workmen at the site of the Bixby Park bluff pedestrian path project. There are two slabs about 15X11 feet. Long Beach, April 1, 2014. (Brittany Murray / Staff Photograper)

LONG BEACH >> Two gun turrets — relics of World War II — have been unearthed by crew members working on Bixby Park’s bluff pedestrian path.

Engineers will study the giant slabs of concrete, used during the war as weapons platforms, to determine if measures need to be taken to secure them, according to Eric Lopez, the Tidelands capital projects program manager for Long Beach’s Public Works Department.

“Our goal is to protect (the public),” he said.

The gun turrets are located on the bluff, near Junipero Avenue just south of Ocean Boulevard.

Kijoo Sung, a supervisor with a contracted work crew, estimated the slabs to be 15-by-11 feet in size, and about 5 feet deep. The platforms are separated by about 50 feet.

John Thomas, an advisor with Long Beach Heritage, said the military had anti-aircraft installations along the California coast, especially between San Diego and Long Beach.

The guns were strategically placed to protect important sites, including the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles and the Navy Station.

“The Navy had a huge presence during the war,” he said.

Lopez said that the engineers might recommend improvements to the sites, such as safety rails.

Bixby Park spans several blocks between Broadway on the north and Ocean Boulevard on the south, sandwiched between Cherry and Junipero avenues. Upgrades are underway both for the park’s north and south ends, where a new pedestrian path is being construction to provide better access to the ocean. The project is being funded by the city’s Tidelands funds and one-time Uplands Oil funds set aside by City Council and management.